What are the best tomatoes for salsa?

[aee96]

I want to grow tomatoes for making salsa? What kind of tomato is best? I want good flavor and not too watery (I like my salsa a little thick).

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
aee96

 

[patandchickens]

I prefer a mixture of good-quality paste-type tomatoes and Early Girl, drained for a little while in a colander after dicing to let some of the 'water' off. However i am not a big gourmet-y kind of person; probably others can give better advice in that vein


Pat

 

[Carri]

I'm doing tomatillos (not a tomato, I know, but flavorful nonetheless) and Heatwave tomatoes, which is a hybrid that does great out here. If you can get your hands on them, I would try Sun Gold, which is just like a cherry tomato but golden in color. They are delicious... very flavorful and very sweet. I'm not a tomato fan, unless it's in salsa, but I can eat these right off the vine.
Maybe you can plant some of those along with a fan favorite, like Celebrity or Big Beef?

 

[jc12551]

Any Roma style tomato. My DH won't eat his pico de gallo with anything else. If you go to your local grocery you will see Latinos lined up to get Romas.

 

[Rosalind]

Um...Lots of every kind known to man?

Hard to say without seeing a recipe. I mean, my salsa usually uses whatever is ripe, and always comes out OK, but my idea of salsa is probably lacking complexity: add to Cuisinart 1/2 onion, various seeded chili peppers, a big handful of various herbs (cilantro, parsley, garlic, oregano). Turn on Cuisinart until all is chopped up good, then scoop out into bowl. Add 1/3 the available tomatoes to the Cuisinart, with a splash of some kind of vinegar, 1/2 tsp. sugar, and whiz again. Chop by hand the other 2/3 available tomatoes and mix all together in bowl.

Yellow tomatoes are less acidic, so if you've got mostly red tomatoes you can skip the vinegar. The only kind of tomatoes I would really NOT recommend are the kind from the grocery store. Those are not tomatoes. They may be a processed pasteurized tomato foodlike product.

For less watery, if you don't happen to have any convenient paste tomatoes, you can always hollow the tomatoes out and scrape out the seeds, then let 'em drain for a while on papertowels. But you will need to use more tomatoes that way.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I'm on to tomatillos too. That is the tradional use of them, for salsa as they are firmer. But I love Roma tomatoes and can't do without them either. Both those for salsa for sure. Then it just depends on the year, I have made salsa out of beefsteaks that came up really firm and nice once, and I had a bounty of them.

Oh you have me drooling now.... SALSA... can't wait....

 

[Carri]

Oh you have me drooling now.... SALSA... can't wait....

Me too! I can't wait to have fresh salsa!!! I bought some from Costco and it's just not the same.

 

[Rio_Lindo_AZ]

I use the "Beef Steak" tomato for salsa. But it can be a bit juicy

 

[Ang.]

I use whatever we have in the garden. The meatier types are better for the simple fact that you don't have to drain some of the juice off. But in the end most tomatoes make tasty salsa.

 

[jc12551]

I use whatever we have in the garden. The meatier types are better for the simple fact that you don't have to drain some of the juice off. But in the end most tomatoes make tasty salsa.

I agree

I have made pico de gallo from any tomato available. I had about a 1000 cherry tomatoes last summer and I 1/4 them and threw them in. It was good.

I don't make a 'salsa' like you get in jars in the store. I make pico-cut up tomatoes, onion, green peppers/hot peppers (if you want), salt (coarse garlic salt is GREAT), vinegar, cilantro, chill in fridge, eat with homemade tortilla chips or whatever. We have eaten it on noodles, eggs, potatoes, steak, chicken...
hmm...I think we eat it just about every meal!